Rule number 33 of the substantial list of cycling guidelines, known simply as “The Rules“, is as follows:

Rule #33// Shave your guns.
Legs are to be carefully shaved at all times. If, for some reason, your legs are to be left hairy, make sure you can dish out plenty of hurt to shaved riders, or be considered a hippie douche on your way to a Critical Mass. Whether you use a straight razor or a Bowie knife, use Baxter to keep them smooth.

I happened upon this list three days before my first initiation into “real” cycling – that is, actual cycling, not just “riding my bike”. I had already been worried about the shaving of the guns before I happened on the rules because I’d seen it mentioned elsewhere while researching proper group cycling etiquette. While I am not quite a yeti, I am a furry…

Well, I shaved my “pistons” this summer for the first time ever. And, I am pleased to say, still do. I don’t go any faster. I don’t get massages regularly. But I look better on the bike. I look like a proper cyclist now 🙂

I used to be a rule shunner too. Eventually, either you’ll stay one or you’ll change into one of the rule followers… Usually once you realize that the clothes, while they look awesome, also make cycling fast VASTLY more comfortable.